My mother, who is now 84, has been stricken with Alzheimer’s dementia, which was diagnosed in 2019. She has also fought and won her battle with leukemia, which has been in remission. She is the last living sibling out of her five other siblings. My mom loves to dance and did so as long as her legs would allow. She has always been there for my siblings and me, and we have always wanted to be there for her, taking care of her as she wished.

Now, as my mother nears the end of her life, we are facing the difficult reality of planning her funeral and honoring her final wishes. We were given just seven days, and we do not have the readily available funds to pay for her funeral. Once she transitions, we will need to have the funeral home here transfer her to a funeral home in West Palm Beach, Florida, where she wanted to be laid to rest alongside her husband. We are arranging for a basic rental casket and hope to personalize her farewell with flowers and a special outfit, because she is not just our mother, but a beloved grandmother and the heart of our family.

The costs include funeral expenses in two states, transportation to Florida, and travel and lodging for family members who want to say goodbye. We also have to manage household expenses like utilities and food, which my mother helped cover. Her granddaughter will need to fly, and my son and I will drive to Florida, staying for at least a day to be together as a family. We want to honor her wish to be cremated and to have her funeral in the same place as her husband, in the city where they lived for over 12 years. Any support you can offer will help us give my mother the loving farewell she deserves and ease the financial burden during this difficult time.

The day of her service is tbd